Ms Paula Fyans has almost 20 years of experience in the Pharma industry at senior European level in the areas of Medical Strategy, Education, Scientific Publications and Clinical Research. She has lectured in pharmaceutics and spent four years at Imperial College London as Director of Pharmaceutical Liaison, where she established a commercial clinical trials unit, successfully leveraging academic expertise in a commercial collaboration. She is also the author of a book on gender equality and works as a consultant on Gender Equality and Women in Leadership with universities and commercial organisations around the world.
Paula is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (Pharmacy), UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School (Business) and in addition holds diplomas (with distinction) in Corporate Governance, Cybersecurity and Regulatory Affairs. She is a member of the Institute of Directors and the Society of Authors and is experienced at managing/supporting environmental sustainability and climate change initiatives at local and national level. She is a member of the ERC Board.
Dr Eilish Broderick is the Head of the Department of Biological & Pharmaceutical Sciences at Munster Technological University (MTU) with has over 15 years of experience as an educator, mentor, and academic leader in the fields of STEM education. Eilish’s avid interest in education began at the University of Limerick where she completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Science Education, following this, she completed an MSc (2001) and a PhD (2006) and was awarded Senior Fellowship of Advance HE (SFHEA), in recognition of her leadership in higher education (2023). Eilish re-joined IT Tralee, now Munster Technological University (MTU), in 2014 as a lecturer in Science and subsequently joined the academic management team in 2016. Eilish is passionate about the development of educational opportunities to enhance access to learning for all. Eilish has spearheaded the development of a number of academic programmes at MTU.
Órla is Head of Qualifications Information and Learning Opportunities at QQI. She is responsible for the development and implementation of strategy relating to the promotion, maintenance and further development of the National Framework of Qualifications and is a member of the European Qualifications Framework Advisory Group and National Correspondent for the Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area. Órla is a Chartered Governance Professional holding Associate Membership of the Chartered Governance Institute of UK and Ireland. She is Chair of the Board of Directors of the UCD Students’ Union and a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland Education, Training and Standards Committee. Órla is an experienced public servant having previously held management roles in UCD and CORU.
Dr Sharon Feeney is a Senior Lecturer in Corporate Strategy and Strategic Management in Technological University, Dublin with over 35 years’ experience in the Irish higher education sector. She is a Chartered Director and is a current Board member (Non-Executive) of Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). She holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, an MSc in Work and Organisational Psychology, and a Doctor of Education (2014) as well as certification in Company Direction. She is a Fulbright Research Scholar (2023) and was awarded a Principal Fellowship of Advance HE (PFHEA) in 2026. Dr Feeney has published numerous book chapters and journal articles on the area of Higher Education Policy, Public Accountability and Governance, Student Experience in Higher Education, International Standards and Quality Assurance Systems for Higher Education, Higher Education Organisation Design, Culture and Structures. She is the Deputy Chair of the ERC Board.
Until his retirement in September 2024, Professor Eugene Wall devoted nearly five decades to the Irish education system – as a psychologist, academic, researcher, and institutional leader
– working across primary, higher, and community education to promote inclusion, evidence-based policy, and educational excellence.
Having initially qualified as a primary school teacher, he taught briefly at that level before joining Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, where he lectured for more than 20 years in educational and developmental psychology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. During this period, he developed a specialist interest in speech and language difficulties and dyslexia. His work in assessing children with learning challenges led directly to the development of MICRA-T and SIGMA-T – two attainment tests widely used in Irish primary schools for many years. In later years,
his scholarly focus shifted towards international comparisons of educational achievement and the processes of education policy formulation, both nationally and internationally.
From 1998 to 2017, he served as Registrar and Vice-President Academic Affairs at Mary Immaculate College, contributing to its academic expansion and institutional development. He subsequently held the roles of Acting President (2016–2017) and President (2018–2024), leading the College through a period of significant growth and innovation, and strengthening its national and international standing. This included guiding the institution’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he served on the DFHERIS Steering Committee advising on the national response across Further and Higher Education.
Over more than 25 years, he was a member of the College’s Governing Authority and Academic Council, chairing the latter for eight years. He also served for many years on the College’s Finance and Resource Committee, Quality Committee, and Equality Committee. More broadly, he contributed to national higher education governance as an ex officio member of the Governing Authority of the University of Limerick (2017–2023) and as the longest-serving member of its Academic Council, with a 28-year tenure. He also served for over 25 years on UL’s academic programme approval committee and its academic regulations committee. In addition, he worked as an External Examiner at Trinity College Dublin for four years and participated in quality review panels at both DCU and Maynooth University.
